Beneath Your Beautiful
by ryderberry
Summary: Anderose Drabble: Blaine and Marley are rehearsing for their big duet at Sectionals, when Marley's personal life blocks her concentration and takes its toll on her performance.


**A/N:** _Hey everyone! This here is a little commission from my wonderful friend Ellie as she, and I quote 'FELL IN A PIT OF MARLAINE FEELS AND CAN'T GET UP' hence me writing this for her. (I love you really! :D)_

_Okay, so in my head, Blaine and Marley sing 'Beneath Your Beautiful' by Emeli Sandé and Labrinth (promoting British artists up in herr) Here's the link to the song, for those who don't know it (FYI it's actually beautiful, you non Brits are missing out on some serious talent):_

_[youtube] watch?v=bqIxCtEveG8_

_Reviews are much appreciated :D_

_Okay, enjoy! X_

* * *

Beneath Your Beautiful

Blaine sat and watched her from the piano, as she warmed up her voice for their rehearsal. Finn had picked an amazing song for them to sing at Sectionals, and they were sure to kill the competition with it. It was by some British artist, the name of which he couldn't place, but the moment he heard the lyrics, he knew it was perfect.

"Okay Marley, are you ready to start?" he asked her, his voice echoing through the auditorium.

Marley abruptly ended her vocal warm up when she heard her name being called from the other side of the room. She knew she was developing a crush on Blaine, and it was getting harder to maintain her dignity around him especially during their private, and not to mention, numerous rehearsals. She really wanted to get it right, she wanted to do well for Blaine, seeing as it was his senior year. There would be no 'next year' for him, this was his last chance.

"Absolutely. So tell me again how this is going to work?" she smiled at him, fluttering her eyes a little. Perhaps it wasn't as subtle as she hoped, as he laughed a little too uncomfortably for her liking.

"Okay, well... I'll be on stage by myself. I'm going to play the piano, and I'll start singing first. " Marley nodded in understanding. "Then, Finn said he wants you to walk on, as you start your verse. Got it?"

She nodded once more. "Got it." she smiled in return.

"Great, you want to give it a go?" Blaine asked, taking his seat by the piano, his fingers gently caressing the keys.

"Y- yeah. Let's do it."

"Awesome." Blaine started to play the first few notes on the piano, and then began to sing.

_You tell all the boys no _

_Makes you feel good yeah _

_I know you're out of my league_

_But that won't scare me away no _

_You've carried on so long _

_You couldn't stop if you tried it _

_You've built your wall so high _

_That no one could climb it _

_But I'm gonna try _

Hearing Blaine sing was like touching silk. It was smooth, unfaltering and pure. It's like he magnified the emotion of the song a hundred times over, and it was already a very raw song to begin with. There was no way they would lose Sectionals with him performing like that.

But then it hit her. The lyrics touched something inside her, it's something she chose to ignore, but ate away at her everyday. 'Ate' was probably the wrong word to use, since it something she hardy ever did recently. The sight, the smell, the taste – it all repulsed her, but what repulsed her more was the result of eating that food. She didn't want to eat it because of what could happen to her if it did, which is why she avoided it at all costs.

_Would you let me see beneath your beautiful _

_Would you let me see beneath your perfect _

_Take it off now girl, take it off now girl _

_I wanna see inside _

_Would you let me see beneath your beautiful tonight_

As Blaine finished the chorus, Marley began to feel a little faint, but she knew she had to push through it.

Blaine could see that Marley was struggling, and he threw her a questioning look, but she replied with a semi–confident smile, which urged him to continue.

_You let all the girls go_

_Makes you feel good, don't it?_

_Behind your Broadway show_

_I heard a voice say please don't hurt me_

_You've carried on so long_

_You couldn't stop if you tried it_

_You've built your wall so high_

_That no one could climb it_

_But Im gonna try_

_Would you let me see beneath your beautiful_

_Would you let me see beneath your perfect_

_Take it off now boy, take it off now boy_

_I wanna see inside_

_Would you let me see beneath your beautiful tonight_

_Ohhh, Tonight_

She thought she sounded okay, obviously not her best. Her voice trembled a little in the middle, but she recovered quickly. Her heart was pounding, and her vision receded to a haze. Her body was telling to stop for a moment to take a break, get something to eat, but she ignored it and carried on singing. Blaine joined her for the next verse, giving her a little more confidence.

_See beneath, See beneath,_

_I...Tonight_

_I... I__–_

Blaine stopped playing when Marley collapsed to the floor. Her sheet music wafted around her as Blaine leant over her body, frantically calling her name. 'Marley?! Marley?! Are you okay?'

His hand propped her head up, as she began to regain her vision. "Where am I?" She asked with slurred speech.

"Marley are you okay? You just fainted!" Blaine said, his toned rife with panic.

"I'm fine, I guess I'm just tired... " She quickly dismissed what had happened, and tried to get back up.

Blaine helped her up, making sure she had enough balance to stand on her own. '_What's going on with you Marley?'_ Is what he wanted to ask, but he didn't want to pry and he didn't know her well enough. He could tell that whatever it was, it wasn't something she was comfortable with, moreover, it didn't even look like she was able to control it.

She was _so _embarrassed. Right in the middle of a crucial rehearsal and she fainted. She looked up at him, his beautiful hazel eyes darted around, searching her face for an answer. She had to tell him, she couldn't brush this one off.

"I guess you want to know what's going on then..." she said, taking a seat next to the piano. Blaine crouched down in front of her, taking her hand.

"Only if you want to talk about it_–_ " she nodded, biting her lip, "However, I think you'll feel better if you get, whatever this is, off your chest..."

Marley sighed, and described to Blaine why she felt the way she did. She told him about her confusion on where she stood with both Jake and Ryder, how her tumultuous relationship with Kitty was starting to get to her, and how she felt overwhelmed with such a huge responsibility at Sectionals.

Blaine nodded at everything Marley said, looking at her with compassion and empathy. He wanted to tell her that she just had to ignore everything that Kitty told her, and if Jake or Ryder weren't going to make a move, they aren't worth the stress. But he did something he probably shouldn't have.

When Blaine's lips pressed against hers, it was like the world melted away. He squeezed her hand gently, and reached his hand to the side of her face. It was getting a lot deeper than he would have liked, but it wasn't actually that bad, especially when he felt her kiss back.

She pulled away quickly, her eyes widening in shock. "W–what was that for?" her stutter made him smile.

"Marley, that song is perfect for you. You are beautiful, you don't need to starve yourself, or make yourself sick just to feel good about yourself." Marley opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't form any words.

"And if those idiots can't see how wonderful you are, then they are _not _worth your time." He stood up, gently tugging Marley along with him. He then pulled her into a hug, gently patting her back, as she wiped away the last of her tears.

"You okay now?" he asked, pulling away from the hug.

"Yeah, i'm fine... thanks Blaine." she sniffed.

"No problem." he grinned at her warmly, "Now back to rehearsal?"


End file.
